67. Beginner Bible Course: The Book of Joel and the Book of Micah

EPISODE 67  The simple Bible overview of…THE PROPHET JOEL AND THE PROPHET MICAH – GOD’S FIRST TWO ‘STICKY NOTES’ TO JUDAH

In my twenties...

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...my job required me to spend most of my evenings in hotels. This was back before cell phones. In fact, my students think this might've been back before we started keeping track of time. Front desk clerks at hotels became my closest friends. They performed a very important function for me each night, before going to bed, I would dial zero call down to the person at the front desk and ask them to give me a wake up call at a certain time in the morning. Sure enough. It exactly that time. The phone beside my bed would ring and a cheery voice would say, good morning, Mr. Nelson, this is your wake up call. There was no snooze button on that phone beside my bed. So if I went back to sleep, I was pretty much toast.

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And that leads me to the first prophet to the Southern Kings of Judah Joel and his sticky note message. Joel's name means Yahweh is God remember.

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Yeah, well, she is the, I am that I am native.

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God gave Abraham at the burning Bush though. The book of Joel is short it's messages clear and uncompromising Joel sticky note from God is this Judah This is your wake up call Joel is prophecy came to the Southern kingdom during the times of ASI and the white witch <inaudible>. And at the same time, Elijah, the prophet was giving his own wake up calls to Ahab in the kingdom of Israel in the North God sends Joel with his wake up call message simultaneous with a terrible locus plague on the Southern kingdom. We're told in chapter one, the locus came in four waves and stripped clean the nation of Judah.

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Joel tells them what to do. Put on sackcloth that showed humility and fast and pray that showed dependence cry out to God with a repentant dependent heart and watch our gracious God respond. And chapter two Joel tells the nation of Judah in its leaders. What will happen if they don't listen to the wakeup call and they snooze, then God will sweep them with another plague. But this time not locus, but an army we'll cover the land. He talks about a terrible day of the Lord. Another more serious wake up, call in their future. Again, Joel tells them what to do. Don't tear your clothes to wear your heart returned to the Lord.

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He's gracious. And when you do, he will restore. You you'll have plenty. You'll know that he is the Lord, your God, and we'll never be disgraced like this again. Then looking to the future, Joel gives the people of Judah. This prophecy one day I will pour out my spirit upon all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy. And your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions in those days. I will pour out my spirit, even on servants, men and women alike. When we get to the new Testament, book of acts and event happens in that passage is cited saying that event fulfills the prophecy of Joel.

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As if to answer the question. What if in the future we disregard that wake up call of army is swarming our land. What if we hit the snooze again? Chapter three tells us about a future where God will judge the nations of the world, like an army on a battlefield. Then Joel ends his prophecy with this striking verse, but Judah will remain forever and Jerusalem will endure through all future generations. I will pardon my people's crimes, which I have not yet pardoned. And I, the Lord will make my home in Jerusalem with my people, man, that sounds familiar. I'll be your God. You'll be my people.

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And we will dwell together and our edge peace that God will reign among his people forever. So ends God sticky note message through Joel the prophet. This is your wake up call. Don't snooze about 130 years later, we get our next prophet to the Southern kingdom. Micah clearly the Southern kingdom has hit the snooze alarm. We've had the Kings, Joe Ash, Amazon. You Zaja jot them. And now a has hitting the bottom of the barrel with a has in the South and the Assyrians ready to capture the North Micah is sent with his sticky note message.

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MIcah sticky note message from God is his name MIcah means who is like the Lord. God finally draws a line in the sand on this bill and worship on This kissing up to bail and worshiping him instead of the Lord. God. So God says Who is like Me Who even comes close. That's the sticky note message to the Southern kingdom and the Northern kingdom as well. Micah is the prophet for the trampled down one-third of his prophecy is against the sins of a has oppression of the poor, the twisting of justice, trampling, the powerless violence, and over at all and arrogant pride it's because of these sins, we get the theme verse of Micah it's Micah six, eight.

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I would urge you to memorize it. It's one of God's most important old Testament cheat codes. I find myself coming back to it over and over and over again. It symbolizes the character and heart of God in his desire for his kids. What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. If that sounds familiar, that was the cheat code in the civil laws given to Moses on Mount Sinai, Exodus 21 through 23. Let me repeat it. What does the Lord require of you and me in us, but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God, Mike, and then moves to the second.

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Third of his message judgment is coming to punish Judah and the Northern kingdom of Israel for their sins against justice, mercy and humility in chapter one, verse six and seven Micah predicts the utter destruction of the Northern capital of Israel. Samarria in chapter four, verse 10, he predicts Judah will be exiled in Babylon at the time of MIcah prophecy. Babylon was a nobody nation, not even a blip on the political screen. The third part of MIcah sticky note prophecy is hope. Hope for the coming King in the line of David Micah gives us one of the clearest hints of who this person we'll be in chapter five, verse two, he pins down his birth place.

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Geographically. This one will sound familiar, but as for you Bethlehem effort to little, to be among the clan of Judah from you, one will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago from the days of eternity. That is a very, very odd statement. If you're talking about a human King, but that's not the only shocking thing Micah says. Now, remember the criteria of a prophet was to be a hundred percent correct or else he wasn't speaking for. God check this prophecy of Mike out in chapter four. In the last days, the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth.

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People from all over the world will go there to worship. Many nations will come and say, come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Israel there, he will teach us his ways so that we may obey him for in those days, the Lord's teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem, buckle, your seatbelts. The Lord will settle. International disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plow shares and their Spears into pruning hooks. All Wars will stop. And military training will come to an end. Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity for there will be nothing to fear.

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The Lord almighty has promised This even though the nations around us worship idols, we will follow the Lord, our God forever and ever. Then I, the Lord will rule from Jerusalem as their King forever. That's stunning and you don't need to be a history major to know that's never happened in history. Micah ends his prophecy with a challenge to his listeners in Judah, but speaking directly to God where is there another godlike? You, you can't stay angry. You pardon the sins of those who survive. You delight in showing mercy. You tramp all our sins under your feet and show us your faithfulness and unfailing love just as you promised with an oath to Abraham and Jacob Long ago to the early King's in the Southern kingdom, God through, Joel says, wake up.

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This is your wake up call don't snooze. And Micah follows it up with Who is like Me Who even comes close. God seems to be pulling out the stops. He cares about his people. Even under the wicked moves of a has. How will the Kings who follow a has in Judah and the citizens of Judah respond? Will they wake up and return to God? Well, they act justly, love mercy and walk humbly. We'll discover the answer to that in our next word picture.